On Sunday, March 9, at the packed John Cassavetes theater, the first of the ten episodes of the series Dark Deaths in Antiquity, produced by COSMOTE TV and directed by Kalliopi Legaki, had its world premiere, captivating the audience with its first public unveiling. Many of the series’ contributors honored the screening with their presence. Following the screening, a discussion took place with the series’ director and screenwriter Kalliopi Legaki, as well as archaeologist, presenter, and screenwriter Thodoris Papakostas, the well-known and beloved Archaeostoryteller, who plays an active role in the series.
The audience and contributors were welcomed to the screening venue by Dimitra Nikolopoulou, Head of Communication of the Festival. "Welcome to the annual screening of COSMOTE TV, a major sponsor of the Thessaloniki Film Festival. It is always a great pleasure to host these screenings, as behind this collaboration lie shared values and a shared love for the world of cinema and television, two worlds that often communicate and intersect through creative people, some of whom are here with us today," she noted.
Faye Tsitsipi, Deputy Director of Content at COSMOTE TV, took the floor, welcoming the audience and contributors and highlighting the importance of COSMOTE TV’s collaboration with the Festival: "I would like to thank the Festival team once again for hosting us for yet another year. We are very happy to be here and support you, but you also support us in return. COSMOTE TV invests and will continue to invest in the production of original content, strengthening and supporting Greek creators, Greek documentaries, fiction, and Greek cinema. Within this framework, I welcome you to the premiere of the first episode of our new documentary series, which will air next season exclusively on COSMOTE TV. We are very proud of this series, as we all aimed to present something different, a documentary with elements of investigative journalism. I would like to thank the COSMOTE HISTORY team, of whom we are very proud, our valued partners who are here with us today, and all the collaborators who worked on the series," Ms. Tsitsipi stated.
Thodoris Papakostas took the floor right after, thanking his collaborators and the audience. "I am also looking forward to watching the episode with you and feeling what you will feel. I hope you enjoy it!” Thanking the audience and contributors, Ms. Legaki said: "Good evening, I’m glad you are here with us. I would like to warmly thank the COSMOTE TV team, the Foss Productions team, and everyone who worked on this project, because it was truly a long journey to make these episodes happen."
A discussion (Q&A) with the audience followed the screening.
When asked about the inspiration behind the series and what led her to focus specifically on the personality of Olympias, the director replied: "Films and series are a collective effort, and only in this way do you get the right results. The inspiration for this series came from studying some great historical figures whose deaths were somewhat unclear and enigmatic. But the idea stayed in a drawer for a while. Through a fortunate coincidence, I first connected with Thodoris Papakostas and then with the people at Foss Productions, who embraced this collaboration with enthusiasm. It is a project that took time and touches on many aspects. We worked on the shooting, on the preparation, and we are still working to be ready for the day of the screening," she initially noted.
Immediately after, Ms. Legaki explained the reasons behind choosing Olympias as the central figure of the episode: "We chose Olympias because she is a personality whose death is not widely known. Her dark sides were both alluring and challenging. Olympias embodies many traits. On the one hand, her skills in warfare and diplomacy, even if questioned, are significant. On the other hand, the intense passion she displayed for certain things is deeply moving. We see through what intrigues she tried to protect the throne for her son, Alexander the Great. The relationship between mother and son, as well as her relationship with her husband, Philip, are two fascinating subjects. Then, we also thought, in a somewhat 'playful' way, that it would be beautiful to present at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival the story of a woman from Macedonia.”
Right after, Ms. Legaki was quick to add: "We have thoroughly studied all the figures we chose for the episodes of the series. I believe it is important, especially today, to shed light on women, especially when they hold a pivotal role in a power structure, like Olympias," she pointed out. Mr. Papakostas then took the floor and said: "Olympias was of particular interest to me because she had a truly tragic death. Her dramatic end is something that deeply moves me. The documentary series also features other figures, such as Pausanias and Philip, as well as some lesser-known ones.”
The discussion moved on to questions about the filming locations and the choices made in the narrative approach. Mr. Papakostas noted: "There was no point in presenting a full biography of Olympias. We deliberately chose to focus on her psychology, on how she was led to her death, and how her character played a role in these tragic events.” Ms. Legaki added: "From the very beginning, we knew that the absolute identification of locations was not essential. It wasn’t necessary, for example, to go to Samothrace to talk about the Cabeiri mysteries. We wanted to find another place that would offer a 'different perspective' on things, a perspective that brings them into the present. We wanted to break free from a fixation on specific places and venture down other paths that would take the viewer on a journey of their own," she noted.
Mr. Papakostas then thanked Giannis Xydopoulos, Associate Professor of Ancient Greek History at the Department of History and Archaeology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, who took part in the filming and attended the screening. Referring to the different versions of Olympias’ death, as well as to the changes in the names of ancient queens, Mr. Xydopoulos said with a smile: "You heard different versions of her death because, quite simply, with ancient sources you can never be certain. If we knew exactly what happened in antiquity, we would have no work today," he added, humorously.
"The change of names was common among queens. Especially for the name Olympias, 356 BC was a decisive year for Philip's reign. He defeated the Illyrians, he won at Olympia, and he had his son, Alexander. The change of name was almost a necessary process. Of course, this is where Olympias’ cleverness lies. She took advantage of it to secure her position both as the mother of the heir, Alexander, and at the Macedonian court. Let’s not forget that she was Epirote, and therefore a 'foreigner' to the Macedonians," Mr. Xydopoulos noted.
Referring to the portrayal of Olympias’ character, Depy Rizou, clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, noted: "I am sure that if Olympias were with us today, she would be a prime minister. But as I also said in the documentary, at that time, unfortunately, all these abilities of hers were used solely for her survival and prominence. In an environment like the one she lived in, intrigue was the only solution for a woman.”
As the discussion came to an end, Ms. Legaki and Mr. Papakostas warmly thanked the Festival, the collaborators who could not be present, as well as those who honored the event with their presence, including Stelios Kotionis, Executive Producer at Foss Productions, Graziella Kanellou, Line Producer at Foss Productions, Anna Nomikou, Content Evaluation and Development at Foss Productions, Maria Harmanda, Head of Research, and Petros Goritsas, Director of Photography.
